Radioville to hire out directors

It is finalising plans for a production arm that will allow its roster
of directors to be made available to shops needing help with the
writing, casting and directing of radio scripts. The venture, called
Radioville Productions, will be launched in January.

Initially, it will offer five of its top directors, all of whom
currently have exclusive contracts with the agency.

They are Radioville's chairman and studio director, Ian Mactavish and
Ben Fairman; the actors Hugh Dennis and Steve Frost, and the freelance
radio director Mandy Wheeler.

Radioville is planning a third-party billing model, similar to the way
TV production companies charge clients.

The move marks a major shift for Radioville. For the past 29 years, it
has positioned itself as an alternative radio-specialist option to
full-service creative agencies.

Stephen Donovan, the managing director of Radioville, said: "Casting and
directing is something that agencies struggle with. While we can't
compete with ad agencies when it comes to looking for clients, we do
have something they don't: access to quality directors in the radio
medium. This venture fulfils both needs. It gives Radioville access to
more work, and agencies will have access to our talent in a way that is
non-competitive."

Radioville created one of two UK radio ads credited at Cannes this year.
Its "switch" ad for the Lexus Hybrid scooped a bronze Lion alongside Leo
Burnett's "script" ad for Procter & Gamble.